Explained - why China is so angry about Dalai Lama's trip to Arunachal Pradesh

The Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh has made the Chinese government and state-owned media see red, claiming it would fuel tensions along the border in the eastern region. So why is China so angry with the  visit?

Like all arguments, the Indo-China war of words over the Tibetan spiritual leader’s visit is a power struggle. It’s a tug-of-war over some parts of Arunachal Pradesh which China claim to be theirs. Beijing considers Tibet, to be a part of its state and this has led to protests and even guerrilla warfare in the area. The Dalai Lama as an immensely popular spiritual leader and former head of Tibet’s government-in-exile (Central Tibetan Administration) is a constant reminder of China’s failure to quell protests by the Tibetan people.  

The current Dalai Lama is the 14^th, and was a resident of Tibet till 1959. He was asked to come to the Chinese army headquarters and fearing for his life, the Dalai Lama fled as the Chinese government killed hundreds and took over the area.  This is where India came into play as the Nehru government granted the Dalai Lama asylum, and he currently resides in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. He was escorted from Zunthangbo to Tawang by guards of the Assam Rifles, and the Dalai Lama recently met one of the guards who had escorted him to his new home in 1959.  

The Dalai Lama’s presence, and his growing public appearances, and his trip to Tawang with MoS Kiren Rijiju, has angered China more as it’s a constant reminder of their atrocities in Tibet.

Dalai Lama with one of the guards who escorted him home in 1959 (Source: Assam Rifles Twitter Handle)

Tawang, in Arunachal Pradesh, has become a bone of contention due to a monastery in the area which has religious significance for Tibetan Buddhists. The 1914 Shimla Accord saw everyone including Tibet agree that Tawang and the land south of it belonged to India but China rejected the accord.  The refusal culminated in China refusing to recognise Tibet’s independence.

Today, the Chinese government still considers parts of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh to be its own territory. This visit has reopened old wounds, with China claiming that India is damaging bilateral ties with this action and India stating that it has every right to enable the trip. 

The Dalai Lama had visited Arunachal Pradesh several times in the past without such angry tirades from Beijing.  On this trip too, the Indian government has stated that no political colours should be ascribed to his travels. The difference however, which is the presence of Kiren Rijiju, an MoS Home and an official of the Indian government.  

An angry editorial in the state-run Global Times said in a stinging editorial: “With a GDP several times higher than that of India, military capabilities that can reach the Indian Ocean and having good relations with India's peripheral nations, coupled with the fact that India's turbulent northern state borders China, if China engages in a geopolitical game with India, will Beijing lose to New Delhi?"

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(Dalai Lama with Narenrdra Modi)

The reference to the northern state that borders China is an oblique reference to Kashmir. China, which has scant regard for India’s worries about sovereign territory, going as far as to block India’s attempt at UN to impose sanction against JeM founder Masood Azhar, is seeing red over Rijiju’s presence.

The Dalai Lama for his part has claimed that India has never used him in a diplomatic battle against China, claiming that many Chinese loved Indians but some narrow-minded politicians considered him a ‘demon’.

While India has officially asked China not to create an artificial controversy over a religious leader’s presence, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the move would cause ‘serious damage’ to bilateral relations.

Reacting to comments from India that the visit by the Dalai Lama was a religious one and should not be politicised, she added: "He (Dalai Lama) is not just a religious figure. Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of a religious purpose. So using empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand that the Indian side stop this move, which undermines China's interests."

Whatever, the reason it seems like PM Modi’s foreign policy vis-à-vis China has undergone some change, and India is poking the dragon. How it goes from there is anyone’s guess but the extremely vocal and publicised trip to Tawang suggests that China can expect some surprises from New Delhi.